What…
What exactly was Emiya Shigen talking about?
What was he doing?
And why on earth had he believed that Emiya Shigen had learned to lie?
Hidden underground, Black Zetsu felt as though it might lose its mind listening to the conversation between Shigen and Madara.
What did Shigen mean by "I cannot lie, so forgive me if I misspoke"?
Saying something like that out loud… wasn't it blatantly announcing to Madara that he was planning to lie? How could that possibly earn Madara's trust?
"…"
Madara's expression became increasingly strange.
Emiya Shigen…
Was this man even serious?
What did he mean by "I cannot lie, so forgive me if I misspoke"?
This ancient, legendary figure was really trying to deceive him with such a clumsy attempt?
What an absurdly blatant lie.
"Lord Emiya…"
Madara's face darkened, suspecting that Shigen was mocking him. But as he gazed at Shigen's genuinely sincere expression, he recalled Shigen's time spent in the village. Suddenly, a certain someone came to mind, and he immediately connected the dots.
"Hmph…"
"If I'm not mistaken…"
Madara sneered coldly, mocking the one person he despised most. "It must have been Tobirama Senju who told you to lie to me if you ever met me, isn't that right?"
"Uh… no, not at all," Shigen replied hesitantly, speaking the truth.
"Hmph, it had to be him!"
Madara's sneer deepened as his suspicions solidified. "Tobirama, that despicable little schemer, remains as conniving as ever."
"Well…"
Shigen sighed helplessly, resigning himself to the impossibility of salvaging Tobirama's reputation. He decided to cut to the point. "Tobirama did mention that you'd come looking for me to help heal your blind eye…"
"!!!"
Shock flickered in Madara's eyes.
That explained it!
It all made sense now!
Of course, Tobirama would stoop to such lows as to coax a man like Shigen into lying.
The realization hit Madara like a lightning bolt. His hand instinctively moved to his blind eye, stroking the lifeless orb hidden beneath his long hair.
Could it be?
Could this eye really be healed?
The blindness was a price he had willingly paid for invoking the Uchiha clan's forbidden technique, Izanagi. Madara had never expected the eye to regain its sight.
But now…
Could Emiya Shigen truly restore it?
If Shigen could heal his blind eye, it would give Madara the strength he needed to confront Hashirama Senju once more.
"Lord Emiya."
Madara swept aside his disheveled hair, revealing the gray, lifeless eye beneath. His voice was steady but intense as he asked, "Can you really heal this blind eye of mine?"
"Uh…"
Shigen hesitated again, seemingly caught in a mental dilemma. "I think… I might be able to heal it… or maybe not?"
"…"
Madara's irritation flared.
How could a legendary medical ninja—someone renowned for his abilities—be unsure of his own skills?
Clearly, this hesitation was due to Tobirama's meddling. That conniving schemer must have persuaded Shigen to lie, hoping to prevent him from healing Madara's eye.
Thankfully…
Shigen was a terrible liar.
Even when attempting deceit, his words were full of holes.
Madara's feelings were a mix of annoyance and triumph. He was now convinced that Shigen could heal his eye. The possibility of regaining sight in that blind eye—an unanticipated miracle—filled him with anticipation.
"In that case, let's try!"
Madara's lips curled into a faint smirk, his tone coaxing. "Lord Emiya, you needn't believe Tobirama's lies…"
"That treacherous schemer disturbed your eternal rest with his vile forbidden techniques. He's clearly been manipulating and deceiving you, urging you to lie to your patients. Doesn't that go against the noble principles you hold so dearly?"
"…"
Shigen sighed inwardly.
It was painfully clear how deeply Madara despised Tobirama. His words dripped with venom whenever Tobirama's name came up. Shigen didn't even know how to respond to such relentless defamation.
After all, it wasn't as if Shigen had said a single word about Tobirama to begin with.
But convincing Madara otherwise seemed impossible.
"Fine."
"I can treat your eye," Shigen finally relented, giving up on defending Tobirama's reputation. He added with a soft sigh, "But I must ask for one thing in return. Don't use your newfound strength to reignite the flames of war in the shinobi world, as Tobirama warned you might."
"So it was him!"
Madara's hatred for Tobirama grew even stronger.
Still, he had no intention of restarting a war. With a faint smile, he assured Shigen, "Rest assured. If my eye is restored, I'll use this power to bring true peace to the world."
"I hope you're being truthful," Shigen replied, nodding. He moved closer to examine Madara's blind eye and, with a single glance, deduced the cause of its blindness.
"This is…"
"A case of permanent Mangekyō Sharingan blindness?" Shigen asked, frowning. "You used some sort of technique powered by the Sharingan at great cost, and it left this eye completely blind, didn't it?"
"That's correct," Madara admitted without hesitation. He had no doubt in Shigen's medical expertise.
"In theory…"
"I should be able to restore it," Shigen said, though his brow furrowed as he continued, "If we were back in the ancient era, I could use yin energy to forcibly enhance its ocular power, which would restore its sight…"
"Oh, by the way…"
"Isn't it curious?" Shigen mused. "Restoring Hashirama requires yang energy—the pinnacle of yang chakra. Meanwhile, restoring your eye requires yin energy—the pinnacle of yin chakra."
"Yin energy? Yang energy?"
Madara's heart skipped a beat as the words struck a chord. He recalled the inscriptions on the Uchiha clan's stone tablet. "Wait… Are you saying that the Mangekyō Sharingan can still increase in power?"
Shigen's explanation aligned perfectly with the ancient tablet.
Yin and yang chakra, the two opposing forces. And now, Shigen had revealed their respective roles—one tied to himself, the other to Hashirama.
Madara's thoughts raced, unraveling truths that had eluded him for so long.
It had all become clear.
This was the revelation he'd sought!
The stone tablet's cryptic reference to the "all-encompassing power" finally made sense!
"But…"
"In my current state, I cannot do it," Shigen said, shaking his head and shattering Madara's euphoria. "In this Edo Tensei body, I cannot access the full extent of yin energy needed to heal you."
"…"
Madara's expression darkened.
Although healing his eye hadn't been his primary goal, the realization that it was possible—only to be told it couldn't be done—left him deeply frustrated.
"However…"
"You need not despair," Shigen added, his voice carrying a weight that immediately recaptured Madara's attention. His gaze pierced into Madara, as if peering through his very being.
"This eye of yours… has recently been nourished by an immensely powerful chakra. Under its influence, the eye is already beginning to recover and regain its power."
"…"
Madara's heart pounded.
He knew.
Shigen had seen through him.
The legendary figure from the ancient era had discerned the truth—that Madara had obtained Hashirama's chakra.
"And not only that…"
"When this eye fully recovers…"
"Its power will ascend to new heights," Shigen said, his voice steady and deliberate, as if recounting a story from ages past. "This eye will transform, becoming capable of bridging the boundaries of life and death, of yin and yang.
"In ancient times, this type of eye appeared once, in the one your era reveres as a god. I once held those eyes in my hands. They embodied the power of all chakra natures, wielding the force of creation itself…"
"!!!"
Madara's pupils widened in shock.
The power of creation itself—this was the "all-encompassing power" spoken of in the tablet!
In that moment, all his doubts were laid to rest.
At last, the mystery was solved.
"The name of those eyes…"
Shigen's gaze seemed to pierce through time itself, reaching into the truths of the past and the conspiracies of the future.
"…is the Rinnegan."